spananas

i could not WAIT to make my own baby food!!  having the power to put the best, nutritious, healthy, whole foods into my growing little man is such an awesome honor i take pride in.

around the 1 yr mark last month, Chiso started hating all things vegetables.  i was in denial and thought he would remain the garbage disposal we all know and love him to be. they now usually end up in the seat of his high chair with him, become toys, or he just does this:

[wpvideo hnFfYpIU]

i can get him to eat fresh fruits in raw form (strawberries, bananas, pears, blueberries, etc....) all day long.  veggies don't even make it anywhere near his mouth as he puts his hands over his face when he sees or smells them coming.  where did he learn this behavior!?  needless to say, i'm still putting my blender to good use.

if i can hide spinach in a smoothie, i can do the very same thing with Chiso's food. sure this is nothing new, but it is so gratifying watching him eat his vegetables and literally lick the bowl clean. :twisted:

making different combos is where the fun begins!  or not, lol.  can't win'em all.  but here are some cool pairings you can try (thanks, Marguerite!):

spananas: 1 cup cooked spinach, 1 banana, half an avocado. cook/microwave and blend.  i use breast milk to get the mixability going in the blender.  you can also use water or formula.

sweet potatoes + bananas + turnip greens (got carried away but hey, he ate it)

potatoes + zucchini

tastes just like mashed potatoes, but sneak in some sautéed veggies.  cauliflower works GREAT here too!  even got over on ol' Sonny.

banana + avocado

one of his favs- the texture is incredibly creamy.

apples + prunes

very sweet, which is prolly why he likes this combo.

add either chicken, lean ground turkey, or tilapia to these concoctions for a complete, balanced meal.  Chiso's fave:

spinach, grilled chicken, and bananas.

notice a trend here?  Chiso won't eat it if it doesn't at least smell like bananas!  so, base your combos off  of your critter's favorites.

1.  hand-pick the ingredients: you have total control!  pick a VARIETY of  all-natural, organic, or raw, fresh fruits and veggies in the peak of their season, as well as lean cuts of meat.  and please...don't limit your baby!  besides, if they don't like it, you can eat it :lol: when fresh isn't available, frozen is the next best thing. 2.  chop and cook: steam, sauté, roast, bake, boil until tender 3.  blend: blender, baby food grinder, food processor, fork 4.  save money!! that's a no brainer vs. buying the jarred/packaged varieties.  you can make a nice batch that will last 2-3 days, and that coincides perfectly with the 4 day wait rule.  finally, your baby gets more nutrients this way; no additives or preservatives, just the real thing. win-win.

know that the food your baby likes and dislikes will change like the weather.  good luck, and DON'T give up!

what are some of your LO's fav combos? please share!

le

biki...no

yesterday was the day. bikini day.  my trainer told me the previous week that i would need to bring one with me so we could check my progress so far.   all i could think about was 'somebody get me a razor' :lol:

i am officially 12 weeks out from the show.  a gigantic inspiration and fellow blogger friend of mine,  Nichola, opened my eyes to just how much time we have left! :shock: please read about her transformation from 170 lbs to competing in her first figure competition last month!!  AMAZING.  all this time i've been saying 'September' which makes the show sound light years away.

i was super anxious to hear my results.  see the chart below.  do you know where you fall??

body fat stats (%)

	male	female
very lean	<11	<19
lean	11-14	19-22
healthy	15-17	23-27
average	18-22	28-35
unhealthy	>22	>36

don't know? well, whip out your caliper.  kidding, you can find it at home using a scale, measuring tape, and a calculator.  try it.

**2 week results**

5lbs and 2% body fat down, + several inches all over.  although my biceps are going the wrong way , booooo

161.5 lbs ----------to---------->156.5 lbs

21.9% bf----------to---------->19.8% bf

hips 39.5 ---------to---------->35.5

abs 31----------to---------->27.75

neck 12----------to---------->11.5

chest 35----------to---------->32.5

bicep 11----------to---------->10.5

forearm 9.5----------to---------->9.5

thigh 21 ----------to---------->20.5

calf 15----------to---------->14.25

i'm still 5'10''. see my before pics here.  and ignore my ghetto tan..i ran in the sun like 3 weeks ago and it still hasn't faded. currently:

give mommy a minute, Chiso, please

for real, i'm almost done, Chiso, really

OK, last one, gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

clearly that baby was ready to nurse and we were playing around.

bikini pics before my workout.

my trainer says i need to hit my abs way harder and he's right.  will just keep working.

how do i feel?  i'm happy to report that my sugar cravings have pretty much subsided... almost completely.  i can't tell you how happy i am about that.  HOWEVER, i now feel like a typical preggo woman cause i'm craving fatty foods like pizza, fries, cheeseburgers, lasagna, and mac n cheese. and  i didn't crave a thing when i was preggo!

it's sunday so i'm in the kitchen prepping our meals for tomorrow and tuesday. i don't make them too far in advance cause 1) these things take up a crap load of space in the fridge, and 2) food poisoning is not cool and i can't afford to get sick at this stage in the game.  better safe than sorry!

heading out for some more family QT today- have a BLESSED rest of your day as we get ready for another week!

le

it's a choice

i'm focusing on the positives of this journey.  i have to. i usually feel like quitting just before my next meal when i'm at my weakest and hungry.  i think of every excuse in the book not to go through with this thing during those moments. :-| so, i choose to focus on what makes me happy, and not sulk over the fact that i can't eat any of my fav foods right now.  i've been told over and over again that this is a mental process.  mind over matter.

 although food prep is A LOT of darn work, the whole process of preparing, balancing, and piecing our meals together lifts my spirits every single time.  my heart belonged to the kitchen before i started on my bodybuilding journey, and thankfully that won't change.  i just can't pick off of and snack on everything like i used to!

foodprep

1 oz of this, two cups of that...

sonnyfood

my big bro and his appetite came over to watch the game last night.  he opened the fridge and was transported to Le Fit Foods for a second.   because i already have our food portioned perfectly and ready to go in the fridge, that = no leftovers.  i got rid of or gave away all the tempting snack food we usually eat, so i knew i would have to cook up something from scratch for him.

ground turkey

hello, spaghetti, my long time friend.  i used 85/15 ground turkey (it's cheaper and he could use the fat anyway lol), fresh tomatoes, a little canned garlic and herb sauce (will make my own in the future- YES i am now too good for canned sauce),  cilantro, onions, and garlic.  and i added a little something special to my sauce- have you tried this flavor yet?!

lc cheese

it has a smoky taste and makes the sauce so creamy.

sauce

i'm glad i ate my own dinner first- it smelled darn good.

spaghettidinner

i  served it over some whole wheat pasta.  who won the game? i went to bed :lol:

le

excuse me, where's the calve machine?

oh yeah, THAT'S why i turned to group fitness in the first place!  sometimes i wander the weightroom aimlessly looking for the correct machine and can't find it without asking a trainer half the time.  plus, i am often unmotivated when working out solo.  i'd go from machine to machine...do a few half-hearted reps of whatever and barely get through my 'routine'.  this time, my motivation is completely different.  this time, i ask with pride :D. seriously though, this upcoming show is my constant reminder to just go hard,  suck it up and get it done.

i work out with my trainer a few times a week and he gives me things to do on my own as well.  i did lower body today and a lot of girls tell me that legs is their fav thing to work.  well i hate it all!!!  if only we could all #fastforward to the end result.

some of you have asked just what the heck have i been eating to see all these changes, and the answer is real food, lol!  no supplements or crazy detox drinks.  remember, i'm still breastfeeding for now and i will not compromise nor put myself or Chiso in any danger whatsoever.

meal plan is now going great- eating the same meal ALL day long was the worst.  my trainer has given me several exchanges for my veggies so i don't get bored and i SO appreciate it.   i usually have chicken or fish with veggies, a starch, and a good fat.  balance and portion control.  i throw it all in one bowl and mix everything together.  this dinner in particular is mustard greens, tilapia, potatoes, and avocado.  not pretty, but edible!

grocery shopping has become boring and downright depressing for me.  i go in, ignore the sample stations, get exactly what i need on my meal plan and get out. :roll: on top of that, **breaking news** Trader Joes FINALLY made its way to Houston!!!  well, close enough for now.  it's actually in the  Woodlands which is about 45 min north of us.  i'm honestly glad it's not right around the corner cause i don't want to be so close to their AWESOME, indulgent, one-of-a-kind snacks.  they dip some of the craziest things in chocolate and it usually tastes crazy good!!! the last time we had the pleasure of visiting TJ's was for our 4th anniversary in LA last year:

 i stuffed as much crap as i could into my suitcase before we left.  unfortunately,  i will have to stay my behind outta there until September.  but watch this- the Houston Trader Joe's location is scheduled to open in Sept. :P. i will definitely be celebrating and breaking my sweets fast up in there.  already got a mental list going in my head.

my trainer will check to see how much body fat i have lost in two weeks this saturday.  just a quick update! holla!

le

epic dad's day

Happy Father's Day to all fathers- earthly and the one and only heavenly!

since i am currently in competition mode, for once we didn't go out to eat to celebrate:(  it's crazy cause that's normally the very thing we do.  celebrations call for EATING in our house.  couldn't even do fro-yo :evil:  all in due time though.  we spent QT with our families and each other:

my two loves... big Nnamdi and little Nnamdi.

 i didn't make Sonny suffer completely- we went to my parents house to visit my folks and my mom cooked a nice T-bone steak meal for my dad.  for the first time ever, i could only smell and look but not touch or eat:

talk. about. torture.  mac n cheese is at the TOP of the list of foods i can't wait to eat again.

one of Sonny's gifts was a heart rate monitor watch- a black and gold Polar FT7!

just what he wanted! do you wear one when you workout?

 

if not, consider it.  there are soooo many makes and models, but a basic one is all you'll ever need, IMO.  i did check out some reviews first.  how they enhance your workouts:

• accurate calorie counter- who doesn't want to know this info??  don't trust that elliptical or treadmill number :-|
• ensure you are at an appropriate intensity level.  if your heart rate gets too high your activity can become counter productive;  too low and you're not pushing hard enough to gain any substantial health benefits.
• find and monitor your target heart rate (50-85% of your maximum HR).  you can find this number *roughly* by subtracting your age from 220.
• your watch will tell you which zones you are in so that you can burn optimal fat, carbohydrates, or sugar.

1. fat burning 50-60% ideal for endurance and weight loss; the body uses stored fat as fuel.
2. endurance 60-70% ideal for endurance and weight loss; the body uses stored fat as fuel.
3. aerobic 70-80% cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance; burns fats and carbs in this zone.
4. anaerobic 80-90% enhances lung capacity; muscles become tired and breathing becomes heavy. working hard and burning sugar.
5. V02 Max 90-100% helps enhance speed in athletes; can only exercise in this zone for a short period of time as the muscles go quickly into oxygen debt.

• prevent overtraining - maximize the efficiency of your training while minimizing the opportunity for injury.
• provides feedback on your improvements over time.

he can't wait to put it to use!  me neither cause i WILL be borrowing it.

le